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Athlete of the Week: Stuart Fogleman

The East County Observer and Bogey’s Restaurant and Sports Pub have teamed up to showcase the East County’s top athletes. Each recipient’s article will be featured on the restaurant’s wall.

Stuart Fogleman has played more than 9,000 rounds of golf.

The 85-year-old has played in 43 states and 27 countries, including Austria, Germany, Japan and Vietnam, where he played 54 holes of golf in a single afternoon.

He played in the Korea Open as an amateur and endured sweltering temperatures above 120 degrees in Saudi Arabia. He’s recorded six aces, five double eagles and has an all-time best score of 69, which he shot while playing in Salzburg, Austria.

But none of those rounds has been more significant that the ones he’s played right here in his own backyard — all 5,000 of them to be exact. On Aug. 14, the University Park Country Club resident played his 5,000 round of golf at the club — a feat that dates back to 1991 when he moved to the community with his wife, Gertrude.

Fogleman began playing golf when he was 12 years old after his then-girlfriend’s older brother, who happened to be the golf champion of the city, taught him how to play. Fogleman began caddying for him, earning 25 cents for every 18 holes he worked and learning the game as he went along.

“I’ve played most sports in my life, but golf is the hardest to play because nobody gives you any help,” Fogleman said. “Every time you hit the ball, it’s in a different location. To me, it’s the hardest sport in the world, but to me, it’s also very satisfying.”

Fogleman plays golf six days a week, with Sundays reserved as an off day. He plays in three different groups: a Monday and Friday group, a Tuesday and Thursday group and a Saturday group.

A worn, brown leather journal helps Fogleman keep track of every game he plays and his links mates. And Fogleman won’t let any of his friends forget a round.

Fogleman’s journal also houses a list of his top-20 favorite golf courses with Koganei Country Club in Tokyo, Japan, securing the top spot and University Park coming in at No. 4. He also keeps newspaper clippings and maps of different courses, among other items.

“I make all the schedules, and I make sure they abide by it,” Fogleman said with a chuckle. “People are always telling my wife, ‘You’re the only widow I know with a living husband.’”